Arab countries welcome new Libyan executive authority

DUBAI: Arab countries have welcomed the agreement of a new interim executive authority in Libya that was announced by the United Nations Mission to the country in Geneva after years of chaos in the North African state.
UN sponsored talks produced a new interim government for Libya on Friday aimed at resolving a decade of chaos, division and violence by holding national elections later this year.
Libya has been engulfed in chaos since a NATO-backed intervention ended Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule in 2011 and has been split since 2014 between warring administrations backed by foreign powers in the west and east.
Mohammed Al-Menfi, a former diplomat from Benghazi, will head a three-man presidency council, while Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, from the western city of Misrata, will head the government as prime minister.
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf said the decision was an important step to reach a permanent and comprehensive solution that achieved security, stability and development in Libya, state news agency SPA reported.
Egypt, meanwhile, said it was looking forward to working with the Libyan interim authority until transferring the power to an elected government, local daily Egypt Today reported.
The country also called on international and regional parties to support the decision that will help settle the crisis in Libya, restore stability and end foreign intervention, said Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ahmed Hafez.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the country hoped that the agreement would support stability throughout Libya in order to preserve its national sovereignty and achieve the aspirations of its people, state news agency WAM reported.
In Bahrain, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it supported Libya in preserving its sovereignty, security and stability and called on its people to follow the peace approach, state news agency BNA reported.
The Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the decision, saying it hoped the agreement would meet the Libyan people’s aspirations for security and stability, state news agency KUNA reported.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Spokesperson Ambassador Defaillah Al-Fayez wished the new authority success during the transitional phase until holding the upcoming elections at the end of 2021, state news agency Petra reported.
The new interim leadership will guide the North African country toward national elections on Dec. 24 but members of the interim authority are not eligible to stand as candidates in the elections.
The latest UN process to end a decade of violence in Libya emerged from a Berlin conference last year which involved a ceasefire.
But not all terms of the ceasefire have been met – a sign – many fear –  of continued mistrust on both sides and internal fractures within both camps.